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Japan will not reintroduce state of emergency as Tokyo coronavirus cases jump, government spokesman says

An employee of the Tokyo Metro sprays chemicals for anti-virus and bacteria coating in order to prevent infections following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tokyo

TOKYO (Reuters) - There is no need to reintroduce a state of emergency, Japan's top government spokesman said on Thursday when asked about a record one-day rise in Tokyo coronavirus cases.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters there were 224 new cases of novel coronavirus infection in Tokyo on Thursday. That marked a new daily record in Japan's capital since the crisis began.

About 80% of the new coronavirus cases reported on Thursday were among people in their 30s or younger, Suga said, adding that it was not possible to reduce infection risks to zero after the country's lifting of a state of emergency in May.

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Alex Richardson)